[BACKCHECK!!!]

Id buy season tix to the Flames farm team if it was in Calgary, and I don't even live there any more.

But a Flames forum is not the best place to gauge general interest, because we're all clearly mental about hockey.

I don't think it would make much financial difference to the owners (any increase in revenues from the Heat would probably result in similar losses in revenue from the Hitmen).

But I think that it would have huge benefits from the perspective of allowing the farm guys access to NHL-calibre training/coaching/medical/etc staff, plus it helps guys buy in to the organization more when they have daily contact with The Big Club. And that next step, up to the NHL, is so close they can literally see and smell it every single day.

I've had some experience with this system, and it's how pretty much every club in Europe works. Most farm teams are in the same city as the big team, and they share facilities, etc.